Island ferry riders will be able to buy tickets online, just in time for fall

No city project is too small to blow its deadline, and nobody knows that better than the people in charge of the effort to modernize the ticket-payment system for the Toronto Islands ferries. They’ve somehow managed to arrange for online ticket purchasing to become a reality at the precise moment when it will be needed least.

According to the Globe, a plan to license a new e-ticketing system from a contractor called VisionMax Solutions Inc. ran into unspecified “legal issues” after it was approved by the city last summer. The contract was finally signed last month. As a result of the delay, the new ticketing system—which would include not only online sales, but also automated kiosks at the ferry docks—isn’t expected to roll out until sometime after Labour Day. This means that the new technology will provide no relief for Island-bound travellers during the peak season, when lineups at the ferry gates (where currently the only way to get tickets is to buy them from cashiers) often stretch all the way to Queens Quay West. Now may be a good time to familiarize yourself with water taxis—although on Canada Day weekend even a rowboat would probably get you across the harbour with less hassle.